Heroes of Flowers: Karmi's Camden Adventure

Chapter 6: Families and Camping

Eleanor was still humming the tune of the performance song on their way back home. It was so catchy it got stuck in their head.

Then again, any songs Triple D performed got stuck in their head by default, Eleanor really was a huge fan of those actresses.

"You're back late." Their mother, a woman by the name of Eliana, commented as they walked inside.

"I was hanging with Kirby and my new friend." Eleanor reminded her. They loved their mom, but sometimes she forgot whenever Eleanor told them stuff.

Eliana paused from reading the newspaper on the couch to look up at them. "A new friend?"

Then again... they might have forgotten to share some details. "Yeah, we met at the park!" They beamed. "It was really funny, they thought I was someone else because I looked like a classmate of theirs."

"What do you mean by that?" Eliana raised an eyebrow.

"Well, my friend's from San Fransokyo, they're visiting here on vacation." The room felt like it got colder, for some reason. "You ever been there, Mum?"

They looked up at their mom, there was a cold look on her face. "I haven't heard about that place in years..."

"So you have been there?"

"It doesn't matter." Eliana got up, placing her newspaper on the table and leading Eleanor to their room. "No more words about other places, time for bed dear."

"Yes Mum." Eleanor closed the door and got into their pajamas, brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed.

Something was off on how quickly their mom changed the subject of San Fransokyo, Eleanor didn't know much about the city Karmi went to school with, but according to Kirby, there were a lot of superheroes happening there.

Maybe Mum had a bad experience there and doesn't like thinking about it. They reasoned. I could ask Grandpa about it tomorrow.

Eleanor didn't know who their father was, so the closest they had to a fatherlike figure was their mom's father, their grandfather was the only one in the family who believed in Eleanor's ability to talk to animals. Everyone else thought they had an imagination, which was true, but not in this case.

I wish I knew why I could talk to animals but the rest of my family doesn't. It was something that kept them up at night, wishing that someone would believe them, until the day that wish came true in the form of Kirby, and now Karmi.

A warmth filled their chest as they felt sleep wash over them, even if their mom didn't believe them, they had friends who did now.

Friendship Circle group chat:

Kirby G: I can't sleep. All I keep thinking of is that emo poodle

Karmi K: Y

Kirby G: Swear I saw that poodle before, talent show maybe?

Eleanor M: I can't sleep either

Eleanor M: but I'm not thinking of poodles

Kirby G: No you only have dalmatians on the brain

Dawkins D: huh

Karmi K: Hi Dawkins!

Dawkins D: I'm doing late night work and my phone went off, don't humans usually sleep at this time?

Kirby G: Bold of you to assume we're normal humans

Dawkins D: Fair enough

Eleanor M: Hey Karmi I have a weird question